Analyst: Apple to Sell 190 Million iPhones in 2012

By Jeff Gamet

Dec 15th, 2011 10:00 AM EST

Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty says Apple will likely sell 190 million iPhones in 2012 based on a survey conducted by Alphawise. iPad sales are expected to remain high, too, since demand for tablets doesn’t seem to be letting up.

The survey was conducted the week after Thanksgiving for Morgan Stanley, and the results showed consumer interest in Apple’s mobile devices is high.

Survey shows iPhones sales could top 190 million in 2012

“Surprisingly, US consumers expect to buy more iPhones in C1Q12 than C4Q11,” Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty said, according to Fortune. “Even discounting the survey results 10 percent, that suggests Apple could sell 13 million iPhones in the U.S. and 41 million worldwide next quarter. Morgan Stanley’s model has Apple selling 30 million iPhones in calendar Q1 2012.”

iPad sales are expected to remain strong in 2012, too, with the survey showing 27 percent of consumers planning on buying a tablet. Ms. Huberty thinks that Apple could sell some 81 million iPads in 2012, even with giving up 4 percent of its market to Amazon’s Kindle Fire.

High survey numbers, however, don’t necessarily equate to high sales. The study showed consumers are interested in buying iPhones and iPads, but that doesn’t mean all of them will follow through and buy a brand new iOS device.

Even if the study’s sales estimates are overly optimistic, it still shows a keen consumer interest in the iPhone and iPad, which is good news for Apple.